Sharing is Caring
by Haqelle
Summary: Two failed attempts. Out of all the spores that descended that night were there any others that were unsuccessful in taking a human body? Perhaps there was another that was different from the rest. This is the story of a girl struggling to find her place in a less than ideal world. Perhaps with a helping hand she can overcome her troubled past and move towards a brighter future.


**_Hello! Welcome!_**

**_This story originated as an exercise in writing a preexisting character as a main character instead of making up an OC to use. _**

_**Parasyte is one of my favourite Manga and is one that I had read a few years before the anime was released, and it drew me back into the story once again. The concept of being taken over by, or merging with, a foreign entity is deeply unsettling, but is also fascinating to think about. The character developments of Shinichi and Migi throughout the story and their dynamic as individuals gives the readers a lot to think about. Ethics, morality, philosophy, etc. Makes me wish I knew more people to nerd out about anime to :( **_

**_Will this story have anything so grand? Possibly. I would hope so, at least._**

_**I own neither Parasyte or Tasogare Otome x Amnesia (Dusk Maiden of Amnesia), and I am merely playing around with their worlds and characters. Would this technically count as a crossover? :/ No knowledge of Tasogare Otome is needed really, as this takes place elusively in the world of Parasyte.**_

**Enjoy, and I appreciate any feedback to improve both this story and my writing as a whole.**

* * *

**_Prologue: Raindrops on Roses_**

_Cold…_

_That was the first thought that I was aware of making._

_I wasn't sure what exactly was cold, or what, exactly, the word _cold _meant in the first place. But, there was some significance to be found in that single, meaningless thought because, well… it was mine._

_While I tried to process what was cold and what it meant, I felt myself moving about my new environment. It was dark but there were sporadic lights spread about both above and below me. I couldn't quite see the ones above me because they were much smaller, and although far more numerous, I somehow knew they were further away. Whatever instincts spurred me onwards were far too basic for me to really comprehend, I was not yet fully conscious of my behavior. I was small but fast, judging from how I was able to traverse the small earthen patch in which I found myself and some powerful instinct drove me to scale the tiny wall at its edge and explore what lay around me._

_Warmth_

_That was the second thought I had. Was it because it was the opposite of cold? Possibly. It was a brand new sensation so I began to focus on finding this warmth. I knew nothing of its meaning at that time and I did not learn about it until later on but I somehow knew it was something I wanted. There was a warmth nearby, just on the other side of the wall that I was climbing and I had to find it. _

_The source of this strange warmth was very close to me, and inching myself across the top of the wall I slipped through a narrow crevice and entered a darkened space. There were no lights within, save for the distant glow of the lights outside that managed to breach the cracks of the coverings on the entrance. Actually, there was a small light inside the room across from the warmth. It didn't seem to be moving but the urge to get closer seemed to wane. Perhaps I was close enough for the itching instinct to ease up?_

_No, it was definitely still there, but it felt muted somehow. Like it was satisfied but still wanting more and not willing to push me the rest of the way. It was strange, all of these new sensations that I was experiencing. It was fascinating! So many things I didn't know about!_

_What was cold? What was warm?_

_Why did I want that warmth across the room from me?_

_Another thought that sprung into my blossoming consciousness was a much more complex idea and I ranked it as the more challenging than my previous two._

_What am I?_

_How was I supposed to know? All I knew so far was that I awoke in a place that was cold and I needed to get to the nearest warmth. That was something I could take care of easily enough and it was no trouble to launch myself across the room and land on the raised platform that housed the warmth I had been seeking. Up close the warmth was much stronger, and increasing in parallel, was my instinct to get closer._

_Was I not close enough? How much closer did I need to get?_

_I began to move up the strange covering and soon encountered something different. The warmth was making noises. There was a weak sucking sound, then a pause, and finally a soft… I wasn't sure what the word was that I was searching for but it was the opposite. That pattern repeated. Then it went again, and again and again and again as I waited for something different to happen. It was a cycle that this warmth was doing but it didn't seem like it was a difficult one. The covering rose and fell gently with each sound._

_Then I noticed something else._

_Something was spread out across the covering that was attached to the warmth. It was dark and looked like a vast collection of individual strands of some sort. They were quite long, much longer than I was. Then, the warmth moved._

_I froze out of a sudden fear… was that the right word? The warmth rolled over and a white fleshy appendage escaped from the dense covering and lay on top. Then the warmth went still again._

_Catching sight of the smooth white flesh sent my instinct into overdrive. It was so much warmth, much more than I had seen before. Before I could stop myself I dove towards it until I was able to touch it._

_The warmth was so close… so enticing… so… right…_

_I needed the warmth. But how? What was I supposed to do with the warmth? It was right there so I carefully pressed myself against it._

TAKE THE BRAIN

_Sudden pain lanced through my entire body in an utterly unfamiliar sensation of extreme discomfort. I froze in surprise. What did this mean? What was a brain? The directive was different than the one telling me to seek warmth. It was so strong it hurt to even understand it. Would it stop if I found this brain? What was I supposed to do?_

_I inched my way further along the appendage, enjoying the warmth emanating from the flesh. Was this a brain? Why did nothing make sense to me? I decided there was only one way to find out so I braced myself and pushed my body into the warmth. The rest of the warmth shook slightly but went still._

_I came to a stop once I fully immersed myself inside the warmth. It was so much stronger now and it was all around me. A great feeling of satisfaction overwhelmed me as I felt the warmth. Had I found the brain? It was so warm where I was sure that it must be a brain…_

_Whatever a brain was, anyway._

_Of course, I knew absolutely nothing back at the time I settled down in what I thought was a brain. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20 and if I had known how big a mistake I had actually made I would probably have reacted differently. Yet, how could I have known? I didn't learn what a brain was until much later and by that point it was far too late to do anything about it._

_Oh well, I had found the warmth after all, and that was much more important to me in that simple moment._

_~0~_

**Chapter One: It's A Wonderful Life**

A long tired yawn escaped her lips in the morning autumn air, sending a column of condensation billowing upwards on the long exhale. The girl pulled her fluffy black scarf tighter around her neck and buried her chin in the soft cotton fabric. The girl's name was Kanoe Kirie, and she found herself once more on the long walk to school from her tiny apartment where she lived alone.

Kirie squinted against the morning sunlight as she headed east towards her school, her eyes a dull rusty red. She glanced to her feet to avoid the light and continued on. Kirie had stuffed her hands in the pockets of her blue jacket, once more disliking the fact that she had to wear a skirt as part of her uniform. Even with black nylons to cover her bare legs it was still cold. She didn't look forward to when there would be snow everywhere in a few short months.

The girl sighed and bit back another yawn. _'That's what I get for staying up late again.'_ Muddled equations and formulae flitted through her head from her late night cram session for her calculus exam that morning. Kirie hadn't the time that morning to shower, so her short black hair was sticking up every which way, making her two ruby studs in her left ear all the more visible. When she looked at herself in the mirror that morning while she frantically brushed her teeth, she once again cursed that she didn't have a perfect everything like her older sister.

If there was anyone who could seemingly roll out of bed looking immaculate, it was Kanoe Yuuko-something that drove Kirie up the wall for all the struggles she went through each morning. She was a perfect Yamada Nadeshiko, and it frustrated Kirie to no end. Her hair never cooperated, the bags beneath her eyes never went away, and she wore a perpetual frown on her otherwise beautiful face. At least, that's what Yuuko used to tease her about. Kirie shook her head to clear her thoughts before she fell down that particularly deep rabbit hole.

Kirie was in the process of extracting her phone to message her friend when she caught sight of a familiar figure walking across the street from her. She continued her pace, casually watching the boy as he made his own way to school. The boy wore glasses and was rather shy and timid, but that didn't seem to detract from the obvious crush her best friend had on him. Speaking of which…

"Ohayo Kirie!" a bright and cheerful sounding voice announced from behind her. A moment later a girl appeared beside her and gave her a warm smile.

"Ohayo, Satomi. How are you?" she replied.

Murano Satomi seemed to relax as she fell into step beside Kirie. Satomi and Kirie had been friends since the year before when they were in the same class. The girl had shoulder length brown hair with her bangs held back with a hairclip and wore the same uniform as Kirie, although her scarf was pink to Kirie's black one.

"Tired, but what else is new." Kirie hummed in agreement. The second semester had begun over a month ago and the workload had been steadily increasing, something neither girl were particularly excited about. "Did you sleep in again? You're hair's a total mess today." Satomi poked and prodded at the small cowlick at the top of her head that only appeared when she was running behind schedule. Kirie fired off a glare without heat at her friend who simply grinned.

"I was up late studying for the damn test today. You'd think sensei would give us a break after having one last week…" Kirie trailed off and kicked a small stone in her path. Satomi laughed, a bright and warm sound.

"You've always been better at math than me so you'll be fine Kirie! Don't worry about it." Satomi stated confidently. Kirie chuckled alongside her friend's encouragement as they continued on their way to school. Once inside, they put away their outdoor shoes and went to their separate classrooms for another exciting day.

Several hours, and one intense mock exam later, Kirie collected her lunch and left the classroom to find a spot to eat. If there was one thing going well for her today it was that she made her bento the night before so it was ready to go in the morning. The short haired girl passed by another classroom as the students were leaving and bumped into the glasses wearing boy from the walk to school just as he was on his way out.

"Yo, Izumi-kun."

Izumi Shinichi looked over and met Kirie's gaze with a curious one of his own, but he relaxed and smiled upon recognizing her.

"Hey Kanoe-san, are you going to eat?"

Kirie wiggled her wrapped bento in front of her chest and nodded. "Yeah, is Yuko still here? I'm going to eat with her and Satomi today."

At the mention of their shared friend, Shinichi smiled again, though it was definitely a more genuine one. Kirie and Tachikawa Yuko had been encouraging Shinichi and Satomi to admit their feelings for one another for the entire year, and had known how they felt ever since they started high school. Satomi and Shinichi were long time friends, and it was through Satomi that Kirie had met Shinichi in the first place and befriended him.

"A-ah yeah, she's still here. I'll get her for you." The boy turned back into the classroom and emerged a second later with the girl in question beside him. Tachikawa Yuko was a somewhat plain girl, with black hair framing her face and a thick pair of glasses resting on her nose. She was very friendly and reliable, definitely not the fickle and jealous sort of girl that seemed all too common among their age group. Yuko was the most down to earth person Kirie knew and she always enjoyed spending time with her.

Kirie gave a small wave towards her friend when she joined her out in the hallway. "Ne Yuko, ready to go?" Yuko adjusted the straps of her bag on her shoulder and nodded with a soft smile.

"See you later Izumi-kun! You sure you don't want to come? I know Satomi-chan would love to have you with us!" Kirie called over her shoulder as she and her friend departed, grinning ear to ear at the deep blush that overcame Shinichi's face.

As they headed over to Satomi's classroom, Yuko smacked her friend's arm lightly. "You shouldn't tease him so much about that!" Kirie grinned unabashedly.

"Come on Yuko, you have to admit it's hilarious how flustered they get! Especially Izumi-kun!" Kirie looked up as they neared their destination and gave a final smirk to her friend. "If they don't hurry up and confess to each other, someone else might come along and ruin everything!"

Yuko gave a deadpan look at the short haired girl and raised her left eyebrow questioningly. "Someone like you?"

Kirie quickly waved her hand before her in a "no way" gesture. "Of course not me! What's there to like about Izumi-kun anyway! He's shy and quiet, but he's friendly, reliable-" Kirie began ticking off her fingers, much to Yuko's great amusement. "-and of course he's handsome but if he were a bit more confident it would really shine through…" she trailed off when she realized Yuko was fighting to contain her laughter.

"Oh get a grip would you!" The bespectacled girl smirked and raised one hand to hide her growing grin. Kirie sighed at her friend's behaviour. "Come on Yuko give it a rest already…" Even though she wasn't exactly attracted to Izumi Shinichi, Kirie certainly understood what Satomi liked about him. It was perhaps a bit unfortunate that she was aware of said attraction between the two because if it hadn't existed, she might have been tempted herself.

The two girls entered the classroom and found Satomi at her seat, with her lunch out and waiting for them. Kirie pulled over two chairs and she and Yuko sat down to eat together. As soon as she was seated, Kirie let out another of her trademark sighs and slumped back in her chair. Satomi smiled and shook her head at her actions.

"Still tired Kirie? Did you make it through the exam alright?"

Kirie opened her lunch and picked up her chopsticks. "Yes and barely," she began as she picked up a piece of fried chicken. "How come your classes don't have as many tests as mine? It's not fair!" She jammed her chicken into her mouth and chewed angrily.

"That's what you get for being in class one. You shouldn't complain about it when you have higher marks. You're the third best in our year!" Yuko exclaimed and shared a look with Satomi before they began to eat as well. Kirie waved off the achievement as if it hardly held any merit.

"Anyway, what do you two have planned today? Do you want to go to karaoke or something together?" Satomi asked.

Kirie looked at Satomi, more than a bit surprised by the suggestion. "Didn't we go a couple weeks ago?"

"Yes, but I figured we should do something fun now that you survived another exam. You always spend your time either studying and working or at the dojo that I worry for you Kirie. You're always busy doing things." Satomi said with a gentle but concerned smile.

Kirie placed her chopsticks on top of her bento and steepled her fingers together in front of her face, an odd glint in her eye. "I'll go, but only on one condition."

Yuko took a sip of her juice and watched the byplay between her classmates. Satomi looked surprised but mildly curious. "And what would that be?"

Kirie grinned, pointing directly at the girl across the desk from her.

"You have to ask Izumi-kun to come with us."

There was a moment of silence before the words saturated Satomi's brain and she reacted.

"EHHHH!?"

The brunette flushed, feeling the heat rush immediately to her face and ears. Her mouth flopped open and she stared wide eyed at the wickedly smirking demon-in-her-friend's-skin.

"W-What do you mean K-K-Kirie!? W-Why should I ask him?" she stammered through the words while pressing her hand to her chest, trying her hardest not to choke.

Kirie brushed an untidy lock of her hair off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear innocently, then nonchalantly inspected her nails. "Oh? But I thought you liked hanging out with him? Do you not like him anymore or something?"

"Kirie!" Satomi weakly slammed her clenched fist holding her chopsticks on her desk, rattling their bentos. Kirie burst out laughing, holding one hand to cover her mouth while she watched the reaction of her friend. Satomi sat glaring at her, unable to keep the corners of her mouth twitching nor the redness off her face.

"Mou Kirie! I swear you always have to tease me don't you? Do you like it so much?"

Yuko, ever the voice of reason, coughed politely and smacked Kirie on the back of her head. The victim winced dramatically and spun back to glare at the other girl. "I think that's enough for now Kirie, give it a rest."

Kirie stuck out her bottom lip in an angry pout and crossed her arms. "You always have to ruin my fun Yuko-chan. What are you, president of the anti-fun brigade?" The short haired girl abruptly stood and adopted a military pose and saluted her commanding officer.

"Kanoe Kirie reporting to ruin everyone's day, Buchou! Whose life are we making miserable this time?"

Yuko facepalmed, groaning into her hand. "How do you have so much energy for being literally too tired to stay awake in class?" She shook her head in bewilderment. "I swear I will never understand how you do it Kirie."

Satomi chuckled at their antics. The trio always had a strange dynamic between them. Yuko was the calm and collected one, usually keeping an eye on the other two while Kirie would sometimes do the most random and goofy things that she had trouble keeping up with the way her brain jumped all over the place. It didn't help that most of her antics involved teasing either or both of the other girls but beneath that, Kirie was always able to cheer her up somehow, even if she didn't think she needed cheering up. Satomi found herself in the comfortable middleground between her two friends.

Kirie returned to her seat with a silly grin plastered on her face and resumed her lunch. "Seriously though, you should bring him along. You've been friends for years and he doesn't hang out with us much outside of school."

Satomi's eyes dropped to her lunch and poked at it absentmindedly. "Do you think he'd be okay with us?"

Kirie's eyebrow went up skeptically. "Don't you mean 'would he be okay with you?'" Satomi flushed, causing Kirie to groan. "Oh come on, how can you be so bashful around him? You like him, don't you? There's nothing wrong with that and there's a big chance he'll want to come hang out with you." The brunette looked up at her friend's sincere expression and sighed.

"I suppose…"

"Ahhh young love… such a beautiful thing to witness, right Yuko?" Kirie clasped her hands together, swooning dramatically.

Yuko placed the lid of her bento securely on top of the container and returned her chopsticks to her sleeve. "If nothing else, you provide much more entertainment than either Izumi or Satomi…"

Kirie laughed the comment away and the trio spent the last few minutes of their lunch break making plans for that evening. After much pestering and prodding, Satomi agreed to invite Shinichi to go with them and would ask him after class. Satisfied with her matchmaking progress, Kirie returned to her own classroom and promptly collapsed into her seat to enjoy the remainder of the dull afternoon.

"Oi Kanoe! Wake up!"

She awoke with a start and banged her knee against the leg of her desk, sending a jab of pain up her leg. "Itai!" Recovering from her sudden flinch, Kirie opened her eyes and looked up at the shadowy figure of Takahashi-sensei towering over her. She glared at him for a moment, trying to reboot her brain from her nap and stall for time.

"Ohayo...sensei…" she said slowly as she realized the situation she had awakened to.

A small tick mark appeared on the man's forehead and his eyebrow twitched. "Kanoe-san, this is the third time this week you've fallen asleep in my class. I was lenient on the first two but this has gone on long enough. You will stay after school and help with the cleaning duties for the rest of the week. Maybe that will you stay awake."

'_Crap…'_

Kirie inwardly groaned. '_Not again… and on one of my only free nights this week…'_

"Haaaai sensei…" she drawled, much to the man's frustration and the class' amusement. Takahashi grunted something under his breath and returned to the front of the classroom and resumed his lecture, shooting a few nasty glares at the semi-conscious girl who had the nerve to talk back to him. She waved him off, she knew her grades were good enough that she could afford to slack off a little bit.

Kirie slumped down into her seat and rested her chin the palm of her hand, making small doodles in the margins of her notebook to alleviate some of the boredom. It was days like this that she hated being so tired all the time. The short haired girl rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand then went back to drawing a miniature gundam in the corner of her page.

_'At this rate, I won't be able to hang out with Satomi and Yuko… and after I finally managed to convince her to ask Izumi-kun to come with us and now this happens?'_

There was only a few minutes left in class before the last bell so hopefully she could let Yuko know that she couldn't make it today. Kirie slipped her phone from her pocket and cradled it in her lap, waiting for the last seconds to tick by. Up at the front, Takahashi-sensei assigned some homework for the next class and headed out just as the bell rang, instigating the normal exodus of students fleeing to club activities or going home.

Kirie quickly sent a message to Yuko and Satomi, explaining the situation to which she received little sympathy and only a frustrated "I told you so" from them. '_Some friends you guys turned out to be.'_ She scoffed and collected her things before moving to help the students on duty that day.

By the time they finished reorganizing everything, nearly an hour had gone by and between cleaning and running supplies back to other classrooms, Kirie was even more tired than when she woke up that morning. '_Just as well I didn't go to karaoke today…'_ It was frustrating, but maybe it was for the best. She bit back a yawn as she slung her bag over her shoulder and left the classroom after bidding farewell to her co-sufferers.

She put away her indoor shoes at her locker and wrapped her scarf around her neck, taking a moment to enjoy the softness of the comforting fabric. Her locker swung shut with a bang that echoed through the deserted entryway, most students having gone home already apart from those tucked away in isolated corners of the building. With that, she headed out and began her walk home.

Kirie stopped by a grocery store on her way home to pick up some things for the next few days. She perused the aisles and tried to get as many fresh vegetables as possible in order to cook better for herself. The girl was a decent cook, certainly not up to the level of making perfect meals but good enough for her tastes. That, and there was a sale on cup noodles so she bought half a dozen of those too. She paid for her groceries and continued on her way home with her purchases in hand.

By the time she made it back to her apartment, it was nearly 7pm. She unlocked her room and kicked off her shoes, placing them in the cubby just inside the doorway and flicked on the lights of her one room home. Her bag landed in the corner of her kitchen, next to a small stack of empty pizza boxes, jostling the pile. She ignored it. The bare wooden floor of her room was cold, even more so now that the winter was coming. There were no posters adorning the walls or decorations like most girls her age, and there was a large stain in the ceiling from an old water leak. The insulation was crap and the building was on the verge of falling apart, but it was cheap, and that was what mattered the most.

Kirie unpacked her groceries into her fridge, shifting a half eaten pudding and pulling out the rest of her fried chicken she made the day before. She cracked open the container and took a sniff. It was still fresh so she dumped the remainder out onto a plate and popped it into the microwave for a meagre dinner. The machine beeped exactly one minute and thirty seconds later after she hung up her jacket and changed out of her uniform into a pair of yoga pants, tanktop, and a hoodie. Removing her now heated food, she took a seat at her desk and flipped open her laptop to find something to watch.

She loaded a random movie and sat back to eat, not really paying attention to what was playing. The conversing voices gave the empty room a weak sense of life, even though the living occupant's mind was far afield. She fought the urge for as long as she could but her eyes gradually drifted over to a framed picture standing at the back corner of her desk. The frame was lined in a thin layer of dust, save for a small thumbprint overtop the two people trapped in the frozen image.

The picture contained two people, two sisters, specifically. It wasn't a happy sort of photo, like a candid shot that managed to capture the joy and excitement between two individuals. If it was anything, it was just a picture of them at a time they would rather leave behind. On the left, with her face half obscured by the thin sheen of dust upon the glass, was Kirie. She was a few years younger in the photograph than she was now and her hair was down past her shoulders and tucked behind her ear. The younger Kirie was wearing a plan black dress with a cardigan and her hands were clasped together in front of her. There was a small smile on her lips that seemed strained, and a weak sparkle in her dull red eyes, and there were visible bags beneath them. She looked exhausted, like she had been awake for over a day before the photograph was taken.

Standing beside her, with one arm wrapped around Kirie's shoulders and holding her tightly, was her elder sister, Yuuko. In her other hand was a wrapped bundle of flowers; a bouquet of white chrysanthemums so be specific. Yuuko was dressed similarly to her sister, wearing a black dress and a wide scarf wrapped around her shoulders. She had worn her hair down that day, and the sleek black strands flowed past her waist in a beautiful silken curtain. Her eyes, the same red as Kirie, were half open as she smiled at the camera, their edges squinting with the contracting muscles in her cheeks. She had pearly white teeth, aligned perfectly, and a tiny dimple in the centre of her cheek that not many people noticed. She was far too captivating and stunning for people to actually look closely at her, too caught up in her aura were they that they lost track of everything around them.

If one were to examine the picture more closely, they could have seen that both girls' shoulders were tense, and their hands clenching whatever they were holding incredibly tightly. Of course why would someone pay such attention to a picture taken at a funeral, the last moment when the two sisters felt like family before their lives were pulled apart by a flock of eager vultures, circling just out of sight outside the wooden picture frame.

Kirie pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and slunk back into her chair, the half eaten remains of last night's leftovers now utterly forgotten while the movie quietly continued to fill the soulless room with meaningless words and sound effects. The girl grasped the picture frame with her right hand, her fingers curling the wood and her thumb coming to rest on the bare spot on the glass. She tenderly brushed the dust off their faces and stared numbly at her only family, trying to take some sort of comfort from the arm gripping her shoulders and holding her close. It was four years ago, but she could still remember the warmth of her sister standing next to her giving her what comfort she could.

The screen of her laptop had long since faded to black by the time she returned the picture frame to its corner of her desk, putting it back in exactly the same position it had been in before. Too tired, both mentally and physically, to clean up her half eaten food, Kirie slid from her chair and crossed the room to her bed, cracking open her window as she went. She was barely cognisant of removing her sweatshirt and letting it drop to the floor before laying down and pulling her blankets up overtop herself.

She was asleep soon after, her dreams filled with burning cars and the devastated look in Yuuko's eyes when she looked back at her from the police officer their front door.


End file.
